Wars And Commotions Prophecy Fulfilled Prior The AD70 Destruction Of Jerusalem
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Discover how Jesus' prophecy about wars and commotions were fulfilled during the period which ended with the AD70 destruction of the Temple of God in Jerusalem.
Learn more about the destruction of Jerusalem
Bible Verses in Which Jesus Prophesied About Wars and Commotions Prior The Destruction of Jerusalem
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Wars and Commotions Outside of Judea: AI Overview
The First Jewish-Roman War (66–73/74 CE)
Jews in Judea and the Diaspora would have been acutely aware of various regional conflicts, intense internal Jewish factionalism, and massive political upheavals within the Roman Empire, most notably the chaos of the "Year of the Four Emperors". [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
These "wars and commotions" (as referenced in apocalyptic contexts like Matthew 24) provided a backdrop of intense instability that influenced the course of the revolt. [1, 2, 3]
Regional Commotions and Conflicts in Judea
- Massacres in Coastal and Gentile Cities: Following the initial revolt in Jerusalem in 66 CE, massive ethnic violence broke out across the region. Twenty thousand Jews were massacred in Caesarea, and similar violent outbursts occurred in Scythopolis, Ascalon, Ptolemais, Tyre, and Hippos.
- The Siege of Jerusalem (66 CE): Before the main war, a revolt in Jerusalem saw revolutionaries take the Antonia Fortress and burn Herod’s palace, while others attacked the Roman garrison in Masada.
- Defeat of Cestius Gallus: Early in the revolt (late 66 CE), Jewish forces ambushed and defeated the Roman legate of Syria, Cestius Gallus, at the pass of Beth-Horon, destroying a legionary force and fueling hopes that Rome could be defeated.
- Jewish Factional Fighting: Internal war was as significant as the war against Rome. Moderate elites, such as those led by Josephus (initially), clashed with extremist Zealot and Sicarii groups. Later, in 69-70 CE, factions led by John of Gischala, Simon bar Giora, and Eleazar ben Simon fought for control of Jerusalem, destroying food supplies and burning each other's strongholds even as Roman armies circled the city.
- Roman "Punitive" Expeditions: Vespasian and Titus systematically swept through Galilee, capturing cities like Jatapata (where Josephus was captured) and moving through the Jordan Valley, resulting in mass casualties. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Roman Imperial Turmoil
- The Year of the Four Emperors (69 CE): Following Nero's death in 68 CE, the Roman Empire was in chaos. Jews likely heard of the rapid succession of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, which led to a pause in the siege of Jerusalem as Vespasian waited to see who would win the throne.
- Vespasian's Elevation to Emperor: Vespasian left the command in Judea to his son Titus to return to Rome and claim the purple. This shift in leadership briefly allowed the Jewish rebels in Jerusalem to hope that the civil war would destroy the Roman army. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Other Potential "Commotions" Preceding The Destruction of The Temple
- Reports of Parthian Intrigue: There were constant rumors or fears of aid from the Parthian Empire to the east, which was a rival power to Rome and known to be supportive of Jewish communities, particularly in Adiabene.
- Diaspora Unrest: While the major Diaspora revolt occurred later (115-117 CE), there was immediate violence in Alexandria in 66 CE, where Greeks attacked Jewish communities and were suppressed by Roman troops, a conflict that might have reached the ears of Jews in Judea. [1, 2, 3, 4]
These interconnected events—the brutal fighting within their own land, the collapse of their political center (the Temple), and the instability in the heart of the Roman Empire—defined the "commotions" of that era.
You Shall Hear Of Wars And Commotions: The Roman Empire's Response To The AD66 Jewish Uprising.
In this section I'm exploring Josephus' record related to the response of the Roman Empire to the AD66 Jewish uprising against Rome. In the era, people depended on grapevine news networks for information. News of the aggressive Roman response to the uprising would have struck fear into the hearts of the listeners.
According to the historian Josephus in his work The Jewish War, the Roman response was a systematic and brutal "scorched earth" campaign designed to crush Jewish resistance through overwhelming force and psychological terror.
In an era without modern communication, the rapid spread of news about these "wars and commotions" through refugees and rumors served to heighten the sense of apocalyptic dread and fulfill the gravity of Jesus' prophecies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
1. Systematic Suppression of Galilee [1]
Under General Vespasian and his son Titus, the Romans first targeted Galilee in 67 CE to isolate the rebellion. [1, 2, 3]
- Siege of Jotapata: Josephus himself commanded this city, which fell after 47 days. He records that 40,000 Jews were killed, and the city was razed to the ground as a warning.
- The "Orgy of Fire": Josephus describes the Roman advance across Galilee as an "orgy of fire and bloodshed." Cities like Tarichaea and Gamala were brutally subdued, with thousands of inhabitants slaughtered or sold into slavery. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Strategic Envelopment of Judea
By 68 CE, the Romans shifted focus to Judea, Samaria, and Perea to encircle Jerusalem. [1]
- Intimidatory Tactics: The "overwhelming success" in Galilee created a wave of terror. Some cities, like Gadara, chose to surrender immediately to avoid the fate of Galilee, while others were destroyed.
- Military Encampments: Roman legions established permanent headquarters in Emmaus and Jericho, effectively cutting off all supply lines and escape routes for the Jewish nation. [1, 2]
3. The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem
The war culminated in the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE), which Josephus depicts as a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. [1, 2]
- Mass Casualties: Josephus estimates that 1.1 million people died during the siege due to famine, disease, and the final Roman assault.
- Destruction of the Temple: Despite Titus’s reported desire to save it, the Second Temple was burned and completely dismantled, ending the Jewish sacrificial system.
- Slavery and Displacement: Approximately 97,000 survivors were taken captive, many forced to fight beasts in Roman arenas or sold into lifelong slavery. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
4. Communication and Prophetic Fulfillment
Without mass media, the "commotions" were communicated through a terrifying "grapevine" of displacement. [1]
- Refugee Narratives: As cities fell, thousands fled toward Jerusalem, bringing firsthand accounts of Roman brutality. This concentrated the population—and the panic—within the city walls.
- "Rumors of Wars": In an environment of political chaos (the Year of the Four Emperors), every news report about Roman civil wars or regional massacres felt like the world was ending. Josephus notes that the Jews "hoped for gain" in these troubles, interpreting the external commotions as signs of divine intervention or Roman collapse. [1, 2, 3, 4]
✅ Final Summary
The Romans responded with a systematic campaign of annihilation that destroyed over 985 villages and multiple major cities, resulting in over one million deaths according to Josephus.
The impact on the Jewish nation was a total dissolution of their political and religious infrastructure, fulfilling Jesus' prophecies about the "wars and commotions" prophecy through a literal and visible collapse of their world. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
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